LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 9
Chapter 9
Sharon Alter Tas’alpo
Camilla's sworn companion in the Feiquaria Oath, their bond was said to be both tenacious and deep.
“Hehe, maybe it's because I live so sweetly, unlike someone else?”
“Yeah, yeah, cut the crap. What are you even doing here? We’ve been crawling through hell.”
“We’re heading out tomorrow. I just got here, but the smell of the wild dogs that just came in is dreadful. Hehe.”
Was it an illusion, or did a crackle of electricity really spark where the gazes of the two women met?
“Ah, here we go. The legendary rivalry of the Feiquaria world—first and second seats’ showdown!”
Suddenly, Sharon’s playful expression vanished, and a frown creased her brow.
“Camilla, your hair... it’s completely...”
“...”
“You fool. How much time do you have left?”
Only the two of them likely understood what exactly she was asking.
At that moment—
A third party abruptly cut in, shouting at Camilla.
“When are you going to teach me? We’ve already reached the city!”
“I said I’d teach you after a break. Do you hear with your ass?”
“You kept putting it off, saying you’d do it before we arrived, and now you’re off to see the Grand Marshal?”
Kaisen.
The boy, covered in dust and grime.
When Sharon saw the tachi at his waist, she tilted her head.
“Camilla, is that a replica of Aradamantel?”
“Yeah.”
“And the Valkrush Clan’s mark on his cheek... You’re quite the interesting one.”
“I’m not having fun.”
“Hey, why not hang out with me instead of someone like Camilla?”
“No thanks.”
Kaisen’s response was immediate.
It had been a long time since Sharon had received such a rude answer. She let out a low whistle.
And immediately, another voice interjected.
“You rude brat. Do you even know who you’re talking to?”
Golden hair.
Her curly locks, a distinct feature of the nobility, and her pale face naturally radiated elegance. She was the young girl who had been standing next to Sharon from the beginning.
She appeared to be about the same age as Kaisen.
“Yeah, you lowborn, you should learn some manners. Do you even know who I am?”
Camilla chimed in.
The girl clenched her fist internally, delighted to earn praise from the lead Feiquaria, Camilla.
“?”
Kaisen looked at the girl.
After about three seconds, he spoke in a tone that revealed his utter lack of interest.
“Who are you?”
“...?”
“If it doesn’t concern you, then shut up and get lost.”
Then he turned back to Camilla, shouting again. The girl’s eyes darkened, and her fists trembled with rage.
“Not only did you insult my master, but you also ignored me...!”
The girl drew her sword.
Her draw stance alone was enough to showcase her remarkable skill. The blade’s tip pressed coldly against Kaisen’s neck.
“You blasphemous wretch bearing the Uruk’s mark on your cheek! My name is Lia Riley, and as a noble of the Riley Marquisate, I challenge you to a duel for dishonoring Camilla and my master!”
A heavy silence fell.
Only the dry rustle of trash skittering across the ground broke the stillness, before the mercenaries of the corps erupted into laughter, clutching their sides.
“Kaisen! Defend Camilla’s honor and accept the fight!”
“Sharon and Camilla have always been rivals. Boost Camilla’s pride!”
Sharon Alter Tas’alpo.
The second seat among the seven living Feiquaria.
Rather than stopping it, Sharon seemed to find it amusing, clapping as she looked at Camilla.
“Camilla, is he your disciple?”
“No way. He’s got a dick.”
“Hehe, you say that, but you seem to have taught him well. He looks pretty strong. Good, Lia. Show the fruits of your training.”
Lia’s face lit up.
With her master’s approval, she could easily...
Just as she thought that, a chilling shiver ran through her entire body.
“Ha.”
Kaisen let out a sigh.
Underneath his messy black hair, his crimson eyes sharpened to a dangerous edge.
“Acting like you know everything... Hey, what are you betting?”
“What?”
“If I win, I’m taking one of your wrists. As the price for running your mouth.”
Was it a taunt?
No, it seemed more like a threat, nearly a promise. But retreating now would tarnish her master’s honor.
“Big words. Fine. I’ll offer my wrist. But if I win, I’ll take yours. How about that?”
“If you go back on your word, I’ll cut out your tongue.”
Cheers erupted.
At last, something to break the monotony—a source of entertainment.
Camilla, watching the scene, simply snorted and turned toward the main street. Sharon asked quietly.
“You’re not going to watch?”
“No need. The outcome is obvious. Why bother? I don’t have time to waste. Besides, I have urgent matters to report.”
Without even looking back, Camilla waved a hand dismissively.
“Tell your disciple thanks. Thanks to him, I managed to shake off a leech.”
An obvious result...
Mulling over Camilla’s words, Sharon glanced between Kaisen and Lia, a knowing smile spreading across her face.
“Yeah, I suppose so.”
***
“What are you doing? They’re going to fight in the square! Let’s go watch!”
“What? Who? With whom?”
“Disciples of the Feiquaria! It’s no time to be playing cards!”
Soldiers who had been lounging in the city’s taverns and inns poured out into the streets.
The Grand Plaza of Haraderiman.
By the fountain where the statue of Haraderiman, the ancient dragon who helped the gods eradicate the Abyss, spouted water.
“Ladies and gentlemen! You’ll need to pay an entry fee!”
Long Rifle Jin called out playfully.
The crowd jeered, shouting expletives, but when his squadmates pointed their cannons, coins rained into the collection bins.
“Introducing the fighters! To the left, the well-known prodigy of Sharon Alter Tas’alpo, Lia Riley!”
Lia bowed with the formal gestures of a duel.
Sharon’s mercenaries cheered and clapped.
Among the onlookers were mages and knights, their interest piqued.
“Riley of the Marquisate?”
“One of the three great sword families.”
“Then that longsword must be a replica of the Holy Sword Tas’alpo.”
Before the crowd’s excited whispers died down, Jin pointed to the right.
“And on the right, the absolute bastard, personally raised by Camilla Alter Aradamantel—the unrivaled scoundrel! It’s Kaisen!”
Kaisen sighed, scratching the back of his head.
This time, Camilla’s mercenaries roared. The beastkin soldiers even let out howls, making the noise nearly deafening.
The spectators muttered, disbelief evident in their voices.
“Wait, isn’t that a boy?”
“He has to be. I heard Camilla never takes disciples.”
“A pet raised by someone like her? Does that mean he’s strong?”
“No way, can he even compete with someone from the Riley Marquisate?”
The Riley Marquisate, a knightly family that earned a title equivalent to an earl’s with just a sword.
The Empire only recognized three such families, collectively called the Three Great Sword Houses.
For reference, Camilla herself was the daughter of the Belchester Marquisate.
“If you apologize now, I might let you go.”
Lia drew her longsword.
With a smug grin, she pointed the blade at Kaisen.
Kaisen did not respond.
Instead, he unfastened his scabbard and drew his tachi... and in the next moment, the entire crowd gasped.
“Stop talking and attack.”
Kaisen did not hold the sword.
He threw it to the ground, pointing at Lia with only the scabbard. His expression remained emotionless.
“...”
A vein bulged on Lia’s forehead.
A cold flame of adrenaline ignited within her.
“I am Lia Alter Tas’alpo.”
She raised her sword, half-hiding her face behind the blade, and closed her eyes, whispering a prayer.
“I wish to wipe away the tears of this land.”
For the first time, Kaisen responded.
A slight smirk, a cold and humorless sneer.
"Why do women always strike a pose before a fight? Camilla does that too."
"It seems you really aren’t her disciple. You haven’t even learned the 'Origin of the Sword.'"
"I have no intention of becoming one."
Their gazes met.
The clash of momentum.
The resonance of heartbeats.
Everything, all of the world, seemed to pause in silence—until that moment shattered, and Lia kicked off the ground, charging forward.
“Hoo!”
“She got behind him in an instant!”
“Hey, kid! Stop acting tough and pick up your sword!”
The Extreme Spider Sword.
Sharon Alter Tas’alpo thought to herself:
‘A sword style that aims for the kill by stealing the enemy’s breath—a form of ultimate offensive swordsmanship.’
It was an assassination-like footwork style that emphasized speed and precision.
‘Now, what will Camilla’s little plaything show us?’
Lia had stolen his breath completely.
All living beings reveal an opening when they breathe, and exploiting that opening brings death.
That was the fundamental principle of the Extreme Spider Sword.
‘At this range, this distance...’
Lia was certain of her victory.
The longsword was within striking range. She didn’t intend to take his wrist—just an apology would suffice.
But then—
A chill.
In an instant, the scabbard thrust into her abdomen, shattering her ribs and crushing inward.
A spurt of blood, the sickening sensation of death creeping over her body...
“Lia!”
...The voice of her master brought her back to reality.
“!”
She instantly pushed off the ground, distancing herself from Kaisen, who had been right behind her.
An illusion?
Was it a hallucination?
Did that guy induce a hallucination using only his killing intent?
‘No, that can't be...?’
The mercenaries, who had no idea what had happened, scratched their heads.
“Why did she back off?”
“Did Kaisen kick her or something?”
“Haha, you fools. This is what a battle of nerves between masters looks like.”
Kaisen, who had extended his scabbard along Lia’s path, now drew it back with a quiet hum.
“You're stronger than you look.”
“...!”
“I thought I’d end it just now... Since I’m short on time, I’ll get serious.”
Kaisen gripped his tachi.
He rested the blade on his shoulder, holding the scabbard horizontally in front of him, slowly closing the distance.
“Tenfold Cross Blade, Form Three: Blunt.”
A stance for heavy, forceful strikes—a seamless transition between offense and defense, as fluid as water.
“Oh! The kid finally means business.”
“Kid? Hey, man! Who are you calling a kid? He’s already got a full jungle down there!”
“Ugh.”
“Shut up, Jin.”
What the hell?
She couldn't see any openings.
No gaps in his breathing. Where could she find a way in? Lia’s mind went blank.
‘No, no. I am the rightful heir of the Extreme Spider Sword.’
And a direct disciple of Sharon.
There was no way she could lose to someone like him.
‘Focus.’
She closed the distance of ten paces in a heartbeat.
And in that fleeting moment, she seized the tiniest breath, aiming her blade at that opening.
It might sting a bit, but he needed to learn his lesson.
Thud!
But the blade was deflected, bouncing off Kaisen’s suddenly turned scabbard.
Her sword's trajectory and stance shattered. The next instant, Kaisen’s foot swept her legs, breaking her balance and sending her sprawling backward.
He reversed her attack, disrupting her internal equilibrium with a perfect counter.
“Oh, oh no, that’s...!”
The veterans of Camilla’s corps exchanged astonished looks.
“Yeah, that’s the move Camilla used to floor Kaisen four years ago!”
Swish—!
The scabbard stopped just before her eyes.
At the same moment, the blade shot toward Lia’s hand... She squeezed her eyes shut, bracing for the agony—but nothing happened.
“Next time, watch who you mess with.”
The scabbard’s ominous shadow vanished.
Clack. The sound of a blade being sheathed.
When Lia opened her eyes, Kaisen was already walking back toward the mercenaries, his tachi hanging from his belt.
“Ugh, shit! My money!”
“That’s why I told you to bet on our jungle kid, hehe.”
“But seriously, that kid looks damn strong. What’s his deal?”
As the betting mercenaries celebrated or lamented their fortunes, the square buzzed with renewed energy. Lia Riley shouted at Kaisen’s back.
“Why didn’t you finish it? You won. You said you’d take my wrist!”
“You weren’t planning to take mine either.”
Kaisen had grown up surrounded by death.
He could tell better than anyone whether an opponent wielded a weapon with true killing intent.
“Besides, I didn’t learn to use a sword just to kill humans.”
Lia’s eyes widened.
Sharon, who had been observing the duel from start to finish, smiled warmly.
‘As Camilla said, a total defeat. Both in skill and spirit.’
Sharon approached Kaisen, who was being playfully smacked on the head by his comrades (since he had won them tenfold their bets).
“Should I say thank you?”
“?”
“If your sword had touched Lia’s arm, you’d be dead. At the very least, she’d have lost that arm.”
“Yeah, I figured.”
“And if that had happened, Camilla would’ve killed me.”
“Bullshit. She would’ve thanked you instead.”
Sharon’s eyes narrowed with curiosity.
“You really don’t know anything about Camilla, do you?”
“...?”
“She’s just not honest. She doesn’t know how. She has no idea how to treat the people she cares about. Didn’t she learn anything from her great master?”
Suddenly, Sharon leaned in and gently kissed Kaisen on the forehead.
It was so quick.
Both the mercenaries, who had been keeping their distance due to Sharon, and Kaisen were left speechless.
“What... What are you doing?”
“It’s a thank you. I mean, getting something like this from a beauty like me? You could brag about it for life.”
With a playful smile, Sharon turned away.
The mercenaries, dying of envy, moved to bother Kaisen again, but a single sharp glare from him shut them up.
“Man, that kid is as prickly as ever.”
“Sir, our Kaisen doesn’t get excited unless it’s an Uruk kiss!”
“Bwahahahaha!”
Kaisen brushed off his comrades and stared blankly at Sharon’s retreating figure.
‘What a strange bunch. These Feiquaria folks...’
One was a foul-mouthed brute.
The other a woman with an unsettling smile. He never wanted to become like them. Not that he ever could, anyway.
Meanwhile, as she walked away, a peculiar smile lingered on Sharon’s lips.
‘To think she taught a man the Tenfold Cross Blade to this level...’
You’ve set up quite an amusing prank, Camilla.
You’ve taken a disciple despite swearing you never would—and a male one, at that.
Was it because death was drawing near?
‘But knowing her, I doubt that’s all there is to it. What could it be?’